Tequila Review

Los Abuelos Reposado Tequila

Los Abuelos Reposado Tequila - 100% estate grown "blue" Agave tequilana Weber, and aged in oak barrels for 6-9 months. Our Reposado label contains a drawing of a Tahona or stone mill, with a horse pulling it as it was done over a century ago.

At Tequila LOS ABUELOS, we are committed to producing the finest Tequila possible. Our Tequila is made using traditions established centuries ago, from 100% stone milled agave, entirely produced on our estate. We are located in the town of Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, first populated in the 1530’s by our Spanish forefathers. Our land is nestled in rich valley at 4,000 feet of altitude, in the foothills of the 9,560-foot tall, Volcan de Tequila. Here is where our blue agaves grow for seven to eight years, caressed with the warmth of the Mexican sun, nourished by the summer rains, and protected from the harsh and cold winter winds.

Our Tequila is produced entirely within the walls of our estate, using centuries old, traditional methods, which although are very labor intensive, create a tequila, which is unequaled in taste and smoothness. Using the age-old brick oven, with its meter thick walls, we cook our agave for thirty six hours. Then we crush or mill the agave as my Tartarabuelo did over 135 years ago in the stone mill called the Tahona. The crushed agave is then washed with the pure mountain water from the Volcan de Tequila to separate the pulp from the woody fibers to create an agave juice called mosto The woody fibers of the agave, called bagazo, are removed at this time, and taken to the fields to use as compost. The agave mosto is then naturally fermented for five days in small wood vats, and then double distilled using small, labor-intensive copper pot stills. Our glass bottle is hand-blown in Tonala, Jalisco by artisan glassmakers and our bottle tops, artisan designed to represent the harvest agave, or Pina, are hand-made by our workers.

Average user rating from: 5 user(s)

Very traditional look, although it has its own identity and has not gone the road that many tequilas take of copying others, so I like the originality. Nose is nice with caramel, cooked and raw agave giving us some spices and vegetable notes. Tate is again very nice smooth and well balanced with inicial sweetness, caramel comes in for sure, maybe a bit of vanilla, buttery, and then the agave very nice with the combination of the cooked and raw feel. Body is nice medium to heavy, color straw golden. All the fortaleza line is great, they do a wonderful spirit.

Traditional

Very traditional look, although it has its own identity and has not gone the road that many tequilas take of copying others, so I like the originality. Nose is nice with caramel, cooked and raw agave giving us some spices and vegetable notes. Tate is again very nice smooth and well balanced with inicial sweetness, caramel comes in for sure, maybe a bit of vanilla, buttery, and then the agave very nice with the combination of the cooked and raw feel. Body is nice medium to heavy, color straw golden. All the fortaleza line is great, they do a wonderful spirit.

Aroma: Butter, caramel, cinnamon, grass, and oak.
Initial taste: Semi-oily, sweet, and no bitterness. Agave and fruit come first.
Body: Light in color (for a reposado) and light in flavor. Not overpowering, but very well balanced.
Finish: Caramel, vanilla, spice, and oak last the longest, but all play second-fiddle to a strong note of pure agave.

One of the best. It's in my top five reposados. A bit expensive compared to some others that are better, but delicious nonetheless. I love the hand-blown bottles and real cork stoppers.

Aroma: Butter, caramel, cinnamon, grass, and oak.
Initial taste: Semi-oily, sweet, and no bitterness. Agave and fruit come first.
Body: Light in color (for a reposado) and light in flavor. Not overpowering, but very well balanced.
Finish: Caramel, vanilla, spice, and oak last the longest, but all play second-fiddle to a strong note of pure agave.

One of the best. It's in my top five reposados. A bit expensive compared to some others that are better, but delicious nonetheless. I love the hand-blown bottles and real cork stoppers.

Tasted at home from white wine flute. Intriguing, welcoming nose of wood, oil, vanilla, mild agave. Pleasantly oily mouth feel. Piny, grassy, vegetal attack, rounding out to nicely balanced agave and oak taste around the tongue. Slight floral, cinnamon finish. I gave it a 90 for price because it isn't available in Oregon.

Tasted at home from white wine flute. Intriguing, welcoming nose of wood, oil, vanilla, mild agave. Pleasantly oily mouth feel. Piny, grassy, vegetal attack, rounding out to nicely balanced agave and oak taste around the tongue. Slight floral, cinnamon finish. I gave it a 90 for price because it isn't available in Oregon.

Tasted out of a snifter. Time and time again, I find myself loving the Fortaleza line. As TV Jefe says the presentation screams authentic and traditional. So does the taste. Everything is done the old fashioned way and I love that about this tequila. One of the best lines out there, and highly recommended to everyone. Aroma: A great nose of dried fruit, slight earth and slight cinnamon. Initial Taste: A semi oily moth feel, there's no bitterness on entry and the initial taste is dried fruit. Body: A very tasty and complex body full of agave, wood, cinnamon, earth, and slight smoke. YUMMY! Finish: A slightly heated finish of medium duration, with a slightly cinnamon lingering.

Tasted out of a snifter. Time and time again, I find myself loving the Fortaleza line. As TV Jefe says the presentation screams authentic and traditional. So does the taste. Everything is done the old fashioned way and I love that about this tequila. One of the best lines out there, and highly recommended to everyone. Aroma: A great nose of dried fruit, slight earth and slight cinnamon. Initial Taste: A semi oily moth feel, there's no bitterness on entry and the initial taste is dried fruit. Body: A very tasty and complex body full of agave, wood, cinnamon, earth, and slight smoke. YUMMY! Finish: A slightly heated finish of medium duration, with a slightly cinnamon lingering.

Fortaleza Reposado (formerly Los Abuelos): Tasted 6/11/08, at my home in a Riedel. Again, the presentation screams authentic and traditional. This bottle looks fantastic and it one of the favorites in my collection.

For me, a good reposado is the mark of a good master distiller. To balance the flavors of agave with the flavors of the wood - to make sure they compliment without overpowering one another - must be incredibly hard to do. I have found that a solid reposado usually indicates that a brand will be strong all the way through, and Los Abuelos is no exception. But since this review is on the reposado only, I will try to stick to that.

Los Abuelos reposado is a fantastic example of the harmonious balance found in a good reposado. The presence of the agave-rich blanco can be found in both the aroma and initial taste. I find the cinnamon, vanilla, and oak flavors from the resting to be secondary but apparent, adding a subtle complexity.

I recommend this reposado (as well as the rest of the Los Abuelos line) to everyone: blanco and anejo lovers alike. It's a great example of a pure product made from a traditional process.

Fortaleza Reposado (formerly Los Abuelos): Tasted 6/11/08, at my home in a Riedel. Again, the presentation screams authentic and traditional. This bottle looks fantastic and it one of the favorites in my collection.

For me, a good reposado is the mark of a good master distiller. To balance the flavors of agave with the flavors of the wood - to make sure they compliment without overpowering one another - must be incredibly hard to do. I have found that a solid reposado usually indicates that a brand will be strong all the way through, and Los Abuelos is no exception. But since this review is on the reposado only, I will try to stick to that.

Los Abuelos reposado is a fantastic example of the harmonious balance found in a good reposado. The presence of the agave-rich blanco can be found in both the aroma and initial taste. I find the cinnamon, vanilla, and oak flavors from the resting to be secondary but apparent, adding a subtle complexity.

I recommend this reposado (as well as the rest of the Los Abuelos line) to everyone: blanco and anejo lovers alike. It's a great example of a pure product made from a traditional process.